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“After lunch tea. I think this is good when you treat it like a dessert tea, I added sugar and stevia to mine and it’s like a vanilla latte. See previous notes for more details. :)”
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“This comes across as a pretty unusual combination. The vanilla combined with the green tea evokes being outdoors in a field smelling nature somehow, where the vanilla brings out the grassiness in...”
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From American Tea Room

.For years, we worked to develop this tea, and we are proud to offer it to you now as our very first “Special Reserve” blend. It is a full, rich balance of steamed Japanese bancha and three types of hand-cut vanilla beans from Madagascar, Tahiti and Indonesia. Extreme notes of caramel richness, vanilla bean, vanilla-infused cream and dulce de leche are set off by bancha’s mellower flavors of roasted chestnut, almond and vegetal sweetness. The aftertaste is, not surprisingly, one of pure vanilla bean.

This tea is a fantastically decadent “dessert blend” on its own. It also makes the best green tea latte we’ve ever tasted. Special Reserve Extreme Vanilla is a must for all vanilla lovers!

This comes across as a pretty unusual combination. The vanilla combined with the green tea evokes being outdoors in a field smelling nature somehow, where the vanilla brings out the grassiness in the tea and the tea makes the vanilla feel more intense and sharp than when normally paired with a black base (I tend to think of vanilla as a soft, warm element), almost minty and cooling, medicinally numbing. It’s not unpleasant, but it is odd enough it takes some getting used to. There’s a toastiness at the end of the sip too. Not entirely sure what to make of it.

I’m increasing the rating on this one a little bit. It’s not the BEST green tea that I’ve ever had, but I do like vanilla & I think that this tea has a nice vanilla flavor. The green tea base isn’t bad, but it has some notes that I’m not fond of.. sometimes it’s a little bit fishy, a little bit like ocean water & a little bit grassy. These notes weave themselves throughout the cup, so they do not dominate, but pop in and out every so often. The vanilla is quite strong, not so much creamy, but more “natural” tasting. It reminds me quite a bit of vanilla extract. I should also mention that it leaves a very strong, almost unpleasant sensation that lingers in the back of your throat — sort of like what mint does.

I’m still not loving this tea enough to buy it by the ton, but it’s something that I might consider popping into my shopping basket in a future order. *I can’t seem to remember who sent me more of this in a swap — I haven’t been able to get to my message inbox to track down previous swaps… but thank you to the person who sent this to me!

I can’t remember who sent me this sample with other assorted teas – Meghann M? JoeCool (Nichole)? Sorry guys – too many tea packages! But thanks to whomever shared this from her stash! UPDATE: Thanks, QuiltGuppy!

For something called “extreme” this didn’t really seem so… sure, it tasted like vanilla, but I wasn’t that impressed with the taste. It does taste like vanilla & green tea, and the vanilla is of the regular soft-serve ice-cream variety, not so much in flavor…

I don’t know. But this was just a sample to try, so it’s not like I would never order from American Tea Room again…

Not the biggest fan of bancha or aracha mostly on principle. It’s lower-grade Japanese green tea, almost by definition. However, vanilla seems to bring out something extra beyond the naturally-even grassiness of it. I’ll admit it, there’s a good balance going on here.

Preparation

Extreme. This tea is extreme. The vanilla is extreme. Your opinion will be extreme.

Sipping this tea was like drinking straight vanilla extract. Vanilla to the nth degree. Horrid! There is a reason people don’t pour themselves a cup of undiluted vanilla extract. I couldn’t manage to finish my cup and was forced to dump out the rest after only a few sips! This is something I rarely do when tasting. Even if a tea is disliked, I will show some measure of respect by finishing. But this blend: undrinkable. Oh, and the green tea base is not even worth discussing since it is beyond obliterated by the vanilla.

The only reason I’m not giving this tea a score closer to zero is that the person I shared this pot of ‘extreme’ with happened to love it. This totally bizarre individual finished off the rest of pot solo. I don’t understand it, other than to say; this is a tea you will either completely love or hate. There is no in-between. Personally, I detest it, extremely.